China detains Australian on suspicion of endangering security

Australian officials said Yang Hengjun was detained shortly after he flew in to the southern city of Guangzhou from New York last week, but it did not believe his detention was the result of rising tension between China and the West. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that Australia was officially notified after Yang was placed under "coercive measures" - a euphemism for detention - in Beijing. "The Australian citizen Yang Jun, due to being suspected of engaging in criminal acts that endangered China's national security, was recently placed under coercive measures and is being investigated by the Beijing city State Security Bureau," Hua told reporters.